At the Country Club in New Orleans, you can experience what it’s like to party with your clothes off — literally. First you’ll enter a big house with a bar and numerous rooms. Not too many people hangout inside, however, as outside you’ll find an in-ground pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, bar and clothing-optional atmosphere. You’ll pay $8 to go into the back (it’s $2 extra if you want to rent a towel), and no photos are allowed once you exit the house.
While I expected it to be similar to a wild spring break experience, the truth is it was really chill and subdued. It’s mostly locals, many from the LGBT community, and nobody will gawk at you if you decide to walk around naked or topless. Once you get used to it, it’s actually pretty easy to go up to strangers as you would at a normal bar and have a conversation. In fact, it’s almost as if people are trying really hard to act natural and not stare, as I actually get more leers when I go to clubs fully clothed. It was a really liberating experience and something I highly recommend when visiting New Orleans.
What’s also great about The Country Club is it provides a completely different experience than what you’ll find in the bustling French Quarter. It’s located in a quiet residential neighborhood, making it somewhat of a local secret. It’s also meant to be a “home away from home,” and you’ll literally feel like you’re hanging out a friend’s house, albeit one that doesn’t mind having dozens of naked strangers lounging by their pool. Along with offering beer, wine and cocktails, the Country Club has a restaurant serving American bistro-style food prepared with local ingredients. If you’re there after hours, they offer a late night menu until 12:30am.
The Country Club is located at 634 Louisa Street in the Bywater Neighborhood.
Images courtesy of The Country Club
Jessica Festa is the editor of the travel sites Jessie on a Journey (http://jessieonajourney.com) and Epicure & Culture (http://epicureandculture.com). Along with blogging at We Blog The World, her byline has appeared in publications like Huffington Post, Gadling, Fodor’s, Travel + Escape, Matador, Viator, The Culture-Ist and many others. After getting her BA/MA in Communication from the State University of New York at Albany, she realized she wasn’t really to stop backpacking and made travel her full time job. Some of her most memorable experiences include studying abroad in Sydney, teaching English in Thailand, doing orphanage work in Ghana, hiking her way through South America and traveling solo through Europe. She has a passion for backpacking, adventure, hiking, wine and getting off the beaten path.
